Can Mankind Survive the New Technology?

Will Mankind survive the technological change? Since the year 2000 the world has changed extremely quickly. Our social lives have altered forever. At the turn of the century only a quarter of Australians were connected to the Internet. Now three quarters have Internet access with two thirds of these having broadband. Only a third of Australians had mobile phones in the year 2000. Today, just about everyone has one, including children. Verbal communication faded in favor of texting. Even this is now declining in favour of voice and video.`

We bought newspapers, magazines and books for news, general information, instruction and direction mapping. Now we do this over the Internet or by using direction indicators that speak to us. Relationships now begin on the digital information highway. We pay bills without even using a card or cash. And take our favorite music with us everywhere we go.

Even ordinary emailing has been somewhat superceded by Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Skype. The eBook has taken off and become commonplace.

But are we losing something? Yes we are. Verbal communication skills are declining as people go to and from work without actually speaking to anyone. A robotic "Good Day" or "Good Morning" is not enough. The problem is these changes are here to stay. They are permanent and there is no turning back. With the technological revolution, providing information about all people, has come world misery as people live in fear of their lives from those who would blow themselves and others to pieces. The world is now in a state of war and it is going to be that way for some time. Finally we have the economic downturn with a recovery a long way off.

People have also become obsessed with watching other people via television. Anyone will do, celebrity or just anyone. We get the "ooh", "ah" for a day or so as famous people die or get into mischief. There are friends everywhere on the Internet but they are not really people we actually know.

Neuroscientists say children will grow up with brains wired in an odd way. They will be adults with short attention spans who want pleasure and more new pleasures every moment. These "new" people will want a say in everything. Maybe we will reach a point where the masses will not be allowed to choose who governs them. Countries where everyone wants everything are ungovernable.